All Through the Night
by SWChika
Summary: A Jolex one-shot follow up to 10x16. Alex and Jo talk about the recent "proposal," love contracts, and her past with a little fun along the way. Rated T.


**Author's Notes:** This is just extra stuff I wanted to see after 10x16. When Jo said "in my experience" the social work part of my brain went haywire and this is what happened. I really hope one day the show goes into her past in a realistic way, it's at the top of my list along with Alex shirtless at least once in every episode :)

Also for the purposes of this story, Dr. Webber accepted Hunt's offer and informed the residents of his new position at the party.

This is kind of rough, I just haven't had much time to devote to writing these days. Apologies for that!

P.S. Happy Greys Day!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing related to the glitz and glam of Hollywood. Anyone who would say otherwise the truth is not with them...

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Jo stretched slightly and smiled as she felt Alex's grip on her tighten reflexively in his sleep. She loved these quiet moments in the middle of the night when she could just enjoy being with him. She inhaled his scent and smiled into the pillow as he sighed into her hair. She loved feeling his solid chest against her back and his strong arm encircling her middle. She had never felt as safe anywhere else as she did with him in his bed.

She wondered what had caused her to awaken tonight. Between her boring day of monitoring Dr. Webber's patients, the alcohol at the party, and her after party "activities" with Alex, she should still be in deep sleep. She lay still as she listened attentively trying to determine what had woken her. She stiffened as she heard a male's voice downstairs.

She grabbed Alex's arm and whispered harshly, "Alex? Alex, wake up."

Alex grinned without opening his eyes, "Again already? Your libido never ceases to amaze..."

"Not that! Someone's downstairs."

Alex opened one eye and studied her face, "It's probably Yang finally dragging her boozy self home. Go back to sleep."

"Does Yang turn into a man at midnight?"

At this Alex sat up and began reaching for some pants, "She probably just brought someone home."

Jo reached for a shirt as she climbed out of the bed, "Let's hope."

"Wait, what are you doing?" Alex whispered anxiously.

Jo looked at him curiously and whispered back, "I'm going with you. Someone needs to call 911."

"You can call 911 from here, you're not going with me."

Jo crossed her arms defiantly, "Well you're not going without me."

"Damnit, you are the most stubborn..." Alex started but stopped as he heard the voice coming up the stairs then relaxed as he heard Cristina laugh. "See? Just Yang and some guy she brought home. Now can we go back to bed?"

Jo smiled softly at him, feeling somewhat foolish and was about to kiss him when her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Wait is that...?"

She started towards the door as Alex tried to stop her, "I don't recognize..."

Jo swung the door open wide to reveal a shirtless Yang with Hunt kissing her neck. Both turned and stared wide eyed as Jo leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed, "Wow. I've seen some hypocritical things in my life, but this tops them all."

Alex had come to her side and put his hand lightly on her hip, "Come on Jo, let's just go back to sleep."

"You get suspended from the OR for three days then threatened with more just for talking to me and he as chief gets to do whatever? It's not right, he's like her supervisor. Him getting to bang Yang would be like me banging Webber."

Alex scrunched his face in disgust, "Thank you for that visual."

Jo rolled her eyes and turned back to the other couple, "Can you just keep the animal noises down and try not to feel me up over breakfast this time?" She then pushed by Alex back into the bedroom with him rolling his eyes and shaking his head at the still shell-shocked pair in the hallway.

He closed the door and stood in the middle of the bedroom staring at her questioningly, "What was that?"

She had sat down on the bed and was straightening the sheets when she glanced back at him, "What?"

"What? _What?_ You were just defiant to the chief of surgery!"

Jo looked at him questioningly, "I seem to recall you doing the same thing only with the entire board last week. You did have on pants though."

"Yeah and I got suspended for it!"

"What's your problem?"

Alex sighed and dropped his shoulders, "I don't want you putting your future in jeopardy because of me."

Jo's eyes widened slightly, "You think that's what I'm doing? Alex, we're off hospital grounds, it's two in the morning, and he was feeling up another surgeon. Do you really think he's going to write me up for what I said? What's going on with you?"

Alex gave a scared look and shook his head, "Nothing, let's go back to sleep."

Jo blankly stared at the foot of the bed trying to piece recent events together. Something was up, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Alex?"

Alex had laid back with his hands behind his head staring at the ceiling, "Yeah?"

Jo took a deep breath to gather her courage before laying back against the pillows, "Are you really okay with me not wanting to get married?"

Alex took a few breaths as an uncomfortable silence lingered, "Yeah. Of course. I don't want to ever push you or make you uncomfortable." Jo nodded as the silence stretched again. "Did I bully you into signing the contract?"

Jo smiled and gave a quick laugh before turning to face him, "No. You just said the right things. I just didn't want to jinx us by signing something just so I could get back into peds. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm fully able to stand up to you when needed."

Alex turned on his side and lightly caressed her cheek before leaning in to softly kiss her. He pulled back slightly and sincerely said while running his thumb lightly over her face, "I was so scared I was going to lose you."

Jo pulled back slightly in surprise and propped her head on her hand, "Lose me?"

Alex looked down to the bed, "It's just...I know I freaked you out asking you to marry me and I don't want to push too hard and you bolt."

Jo smiled sadly at him and reached for his hand, "I'm not going anywhere." She watched his worried expression with sadness, "Alex?" She waited for him to meet her eyes, "I did agree to a future with you, just not marriage. Not yet." Alex silently nodded as Jo added teasingly, "Plus, technically speaking, you didn't ask."

Alex grinned slightly, "Noted."

Jo smiled at his grin, "There's just so much we need to work through first. I don't want to end up like Hunt and Yang or Jackson and Kepner."

"We won't," Alex tried to assure her.

Jo nodded her head and rubbed his arm, "I just don't want to risk it."

Alex nodded, "Can I ask you something?"

Jo grinned, "Of course."

Alex took a deep breath, "What happened to make you so wary of signing legal papers?"

Jo laid back and stared straight ahead, "Do you know how many people signed papers with the state saying they intended to adopt me?" She glanced his way to see the hurt in his eyes before turning back away, "Every single time I got my hopes up and every single time it went to crap. Everything seemed fine before. I would spend time with these families and it was great and then we'd have the meeting to move forward and it would all fall apart soon after. I just..." She glanced back at Alex to see the heartbreak in his eyes, "It's just every time it happened I'd be so excited and then just when I thought it was my turn to get a family and some happiness I'd end up alone moving to a new place. I don't want that to happen again."

"It won't," Alex said softly, but with conviction.

Jo shook her head and looked away, "Why not? You almost left once already. You'll eventually get tired of me or decide I'm more trouble than I'm worth. Maybe not right away, but eventually. It may be next week or next month or next year or..."

"Or never," Alex stated firmly.

She looked away and answered in a small voice, "You say that now Alex, but..."

"I'll still say it when we're in the retirement home together," he said with quiet resolve. She glanced at him with tearful eyes as he continued, "I know I don't say it enough, but I love you. And more than that...I need you. No one has ever made such an effort to love me and understand me."

"You're worth the effort." She then gave a playful grin and added, "Most days."

Alex grinned as well and hiked his eyebrows, "Is that right?"

Jo became serious again as she nodded her head and curled into his side, "It is."

Alex kissed her forehead as he rubbed her upper arm. They stayed that way lost in their thoughts for a few minutes before Alex snickered, "I can't believe you told Hunt it wasn't fair he could 'bang Yang'."

Jo's eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her hand, "Oh God, that's the way I said it? I'm not going to be able to face them tomorrow."

"I'll definitely be bringing some popcorn," Alex said with a grin.

Jo laughed as she pressed a kiss onto his chest, "I'm so glad to have such a supportive boyfriend." She then yawned and snuggled closer to him. Alex lazily traced her spine with the tips of his fingers as she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.


End file.
